Israel Deports Hundreds of Flotilla Activists

JERUSALEM (June 2) -- Israel today deported hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who had been detained after Israeli commandos attacked a ship carrying thousands of tons of humanitarian aid for Gaza. Another ship, the MV Rachel Corrie, is on its way to Gaza and should reach the area by the end of the week, posing another challenge to Israel.

"We had a meeting after what happened on Monday morning and we were more determined than ever to continue with our mission," crew member Derek Graham told Irish state broadcaster RTE today. He said he would inform Israeli authorities of the exact positions of the ship's passengers and urge those on board to remain peaceful.

"I will advise the passengers and crew to sit quietly with their hands shown so they cannot do like they did on Monday and claim we attacked them," he said. "We are a peaceful mission."

On Monday, more than 600 activists were detained, most of them from the Turkish-flagged ship Marmara, after nine activists were killed in fighting with Israeli soldiers. An Israeli government spokesman said all of the activists would be deported as soon as possible, reversing a previous decision to prosecute about 20 activists who Israel claims initiated the violence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained defiant in the face of growing international criticism over Israel's handling of the incident. In a statement today, Netanyahu referred to international criticism as hypocritical saying, "I ask myself, what would soldiers from other countries, not just any countries, democratic countries, do? Under the best circumstances they would have acted as our soldiers. In most cases I believe they would have done worse."

Netanyahu also defended Israel's blockade of Gaza. "The flotilla's goal was to break the naval blockade of Gaza," he said. "If the blockade was broken tens, hundreds of ships would arrive. The amount of war materiel that could be brought in by these ships is much greater than the amount brought in through the tunnels. Every ship could bring in hundreds of rockets, hundreds of missiles."

The names and nationalities of the nine dead have not been released, although Israel has confirmed that four of them are Turkish nationals.

A spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry said that 124 of the activists, including some from Muslim countries that do not have ties with Israel, crossed over the Allenby Bridge to Jordan and would be flown home from there. Turkey sent planes to bring hundreds of its nationals home.

Some of the activists complained of mistreatment by Israel.

"The Israelis roughed up and humiliated all of us -- women, men and children," Kuwaiti lawmaker Walid al-Tabtabai told The Associated Press. "They were brutal and arrogant, but our message reached every corner of the world that the blockade on Gaza is unfair and should be lifted immediately."

He also insisted there were no weapons aboard the boat, a claim Israeli officials sharply denied. The Israeli army released video footage in which soldiers are heard yelling that the activists on the ship were shooting at them. Other soldiers took to the Israeli airwaves.

"After I descended from the helicopter, I was in front of several terrorists and I cocked my weapon when I saw one of them come towards me with a knife," Israeli Capt. R. -- who cannot be identified by his full name according to military regulations -- told Israel Radio.

"I fired one shot, and at that point, another 20 people started coming at me from every direction. They jumped at me and hurled me to the lower deck. At the same time, I felt intense pain in my stomach. I saw a knife stabbed into my stomach and I pulled it out. I somehow managed to get to the lower level, where there was another mob of people. I, along with other team members, jumped into the water. The third commando that was with us was hit in the head and lost consciousness," he said.

The storm of international criticism of Israel continued unabated.

Israel evacuated the families of diplomats in Turkey after large anti-Israel demonstrations in Turkey, although the diplomatic staff remains in the country. Thousands of Israelis canceled planned vacations to Turkey and many there came home early. Turkey had already recalled its ambassador to Israel on Monday. Today, Nicaragua announced it is suspending ties with Israel.

Harsh words also came from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who called Israel's attack "state terrorism." Abbas said he will ask President Barack Obama for "courageous decisions" toward Israel when the two meet in Washington next week. Special U.S. Envoy George Mitchell arrives in the Middle East for another round of "proximity talks," but after this week's events, expectations are even lower than usual.

There continue to be calls around the world for an independent investigation into Monday's events. A poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv found that 47 percent of Israelis want an Israeli commission of inquiry, not just a military investigation that has already been announced. Sixty-one percent believed the flotilla should have been stopped in some other way, and a majority blamed Defense Minister Ehud Barak for the fatal outcome.